Khettien
Perpetually confused
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Wait, it is? Wtf. Damnit English.
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With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)
- Thread starter Mr Zoat
- Start date
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- Tags
- self insert young justice
Dur'id the Druid
Know what you're doing yet?
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Um, what is with the medallions? I'm not following the conversation at that point.
Agumentic
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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Medallions are currency, they're making a bet.
DeathReaperZ
In the Void.
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Hah.
As long as you have your ring that is.
Almost slipped up there pal.
What exactly is he doing here? He just said that consuming any of the Dream is a bad idea, so is he temporarily occupying it or controlling it? Or is he simply erasing the metaphysical distance?
poor kid just got cucked
Will we ever see the slate? It's been added to hundreds of times by now, how much of the stuff has he actually completed?
Oh dear.
No it most certainly would not.
Convenient.
Earth is bullshit in every continuity.
That's a nice way to put it.
Hah. Neat to see her react like that.
Indeed it isn't.
Dude just skipped straight to the end.
Attaboy.
Is creation supposed to be capitalised?
Hah.
Probably for the best.
Cute.
Yet.
Same design as hers?
So he might become a cyborg? Neat.
Let's gooo.
Truly a first time for everything.
Wonder how she reacted.
If only they knew.
How does she control pheromones? I'm not familiar with Fallout and the wiki page doesn't mention it, or I missed it.
Can't he create a field or something? Or is his control not fine enough for this kinda stuff?
I'm just waiting for them all to get together and kinda chill for once? Maybe trade some stories and tech.
This most definitely will not backfire in anyway.
Huh, he's an anomaly.
I actually chuckled at that. Wasn't expecting you to use the meme."I'm-. I'm.. sorry, none of your broadcasts said.. how we were supposed to address you."
"Oh, that's easy. I'm still-"
I nod. That's the name he used as a young superhero, and I-. If his broadcasts are genuine -and I can't think why he'd feel any need to lie to us- then he still regards this conquest as a heroic activity.
Boy oh boy would a yellow ring be useful rn.
Is cause they look like bug eyes? Reminds me a little of Skitter's mask tbh.
Did I miss something? Where did that come up?
He'll always be the first one. And I imagine he's the best at understanding her, and that status is unlikely to change.
I doubt she even managed to get it done halfway.
Mr Zoat
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Yes. He means in the sense of the universe created by God.
He's already a cyborg. He's had basic implants since the first post in that setting.
I assume that she either found a combination of plant juices that matched the scent acceptably well, or used samples taken from dead ants.
He could push away, but that would make him very visible and might cause the situation to get worse.
boo600
Welp
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The Man (part 17)
New
Mr Zoat
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4th June 2013
19:25 GMT +3
I stride out of the Temple of Hades, arms spread wide.
"Welcome to Themyscira!"
The small number of Amazons out and about at this time of the evening stop what they were doing in order to cluster at minimum safe distance. Two have a quick argument which results in one running down the street to… Notify a mutual acquaintance that I'm up to something, apparently. She's narrowly outpaced by the member of the guard patrol who is heading for the inner ring for much the same reason.
Then out comes Queen Artemis, followed by her bodyguards and a couple of advisors. They were decidedly nervous during our flight over Erebos, though Queen Artemis herself seemed to find the whole thing fascinating. I didn't think there was much point in giving them the full tour, particularly with Lord Hades indisposed. Between courting his wife properly and the huge backlog he's working through, I don't really think that he's got the time.
Most of the Amazons are staring at Queen Artemis.
"It's a delightful island with no modern conveniences at all. Don't be fooled by the fact that it resembles parts of your own world; they don't use magic for things like that either. It's garderobes and wells all the way."
Oh, I've brought a foreign queen to a place that uses garderobes. That was a mistake.
"That will not be a concern. It was the same in my youth."
The red-robed economic advisor looks like it might just possible be a problem for her.
"And you say these women are older than me?"
I shrug and turn to address the crowd. "Oi, rubberneckers! Anyone here younger than fifteen hundred?!"
A short delay while they hesitate to attract my attention, then heads start shaking.
"Thank you! Looks like they are. Everyone, this is Queen Artemis, she's the ruler of a planet I'm hoping to do business with. I hope that you'll make her feel welcome during her time here."
Themysciran Greek only.
Compliance.
"To the best of my knowledge she prefers men, so all you would-be liberators can keep it in your drawers."
A few smirk, two look disappointed… And one of the two then turns away from the queen to assess her retinue.
Queen Artemis leans towards me. "Was I supposed to not have a translator spell running?"
All language mode, sound baffle.
Compliance.
"If I was mistaken, every woman here has fought monsters, enemy soldiers and the undead at least once in her life, and I can speak favourably of their characters."
"You are not mistaken, and I have no desire to be a public spectacle."
"Really? I've learned to love it." Baffle off. "Do you want to look around for a while, or do you want to go straight to the formal reception part of the visit?"
"I would like to see the parts of Themyscira which were damaged during the Anti-Life broadcast."
"Oh. Well, there weren't any, really. Themyscira got sucked into the realm of the Hellenistic gods and spent the whole thing guarding the base of Mount Olympus from attacks by the dead of the Aztecs. Aside from a short period at the beginning, which didn't cause much damage because the island is self-sufficient anyway, rather than being part of a complex interdependent economy like the rest of the planet."
"Perhaps a short walk before meeting your queen? The journey gave us little opportunity to stretch our limbs."
"Certainly." Hm. "Perhaps I could show you Themyscira's Dolmen Gate? It's only a short distance from here, and has been operating for over a year now."
She nods. "Yes. Let us begin there."
I lead the way at a slow walk, giving my guests all the time to look around that they like. I'm sure that they're picking up the unique properties of Themysciran architecture, and the complete lack of the sort of magic utility that they're used to.
"Are there no magicians here at all?"
"There are a few. Mostly, Themyscirans see magic as a form of revealed divinity. Few study doing something with magic unless it is offered to them as a result of insight they received from our gods. The magic generalists either follow our Goddess of Magic, or, ah… Are experimenting with other traditions." I shrug. "They're three thousand years old. Some embrace heterodoxy just to keep their brains from rotting."
Including all three of the other Discordians. I think I'm technically the cult leader, but… Well, if Discordians want a leader then they should have checked the sign over the door on the way in.
Artemis nods, still looking around. "The stonework is of fine quality."
"The masons have three thousand years of experience. Or-. I suppose, everyone here has several hundred years of experience as masons before they switched career so they didn't forget how to do everything else. At this point the only person here who couldn't rebuild this street is me."
"What has kept the people of this island form leaving?"
"Inertia, fear, normalisation, segregation."
"Who was segregated?"
"Everyone who wanted to leave left. That meant that they weren't around to agitate their countrywomen, who settled into their complacency."
"What were they afraid of?"
"The same people who drove them off the mainland in the first place. The descendants of those people. Their civilisation, which kept growing and getting stronger while theirs stagnated. Perhaps even cultural assimilation. They didn't spend three thousand years shaking in their sandals, but it was one of the foundational pillars for their attitude."
I don't mention the whittle dolls, partially because I'm seeing a lot less of that lately and partially because that's a whole new level of messed up.
"And are you the cause of their renewed contact with the rest of your world?"
"Not just me, but I think I dramatically accelerated something that was starting to happen anyway." I sigh. "While I understand that protecting people is the core of my job, I'd rather spend my time making peoples' lives better rather than preventing them from getting worse. I'm the reason why the size of the population is actually increasing for the first time in over two thousand years. I'm the reason why they can walk to a modern city, and got access to fruits and vegetables that they've never seen before."
"I have done many things in my life, but I never even contemplated spending so long on a single island."
"Right! It links to why I want those Gates in the first place. Yes, Hub City could use them in the normal sort of way, but what I really want to do is make the place a productive economic hub of the sort it hasn't been… Ever, I think. I want to make the lives of its people better."
"Does it have some significance to you?"
"No, but what sort of hero would I be if I only helped the places that I cared about?"
She nods as we approach the Dolmen Gate.
19:25 GMT +3
I stride out of the Temple of Hades, arms spread wide.
"Welcome to Themyscira!"
The small number of Amazons out and about at this time of the evening stop what they were doing in order to cluster at minimum safe distance. Two have a quick argument which results in one running down the street to… Notify a mutual acquaintance that I'm up to something, apparently. She's narrowly outpaced by the member of the guard patrol who is heading for the inner ring for much the same reason.
Then out comes Queen Artemis, followed by her bodyguards and a couple of advisors. They were decidedly nervous during our flight over Erebos, though Queen Artemis herself seemed to find the whole thing fascinating. I didn't think there was much point in giving them the full tour, particularly with Lord Hades indisposed. Between courting his wife properly and the huge backlog he's working through, I don't really think that he's got the time.
Most of the Amazons are staring at Queen Artemis.
"It's a delightful island with no modern conveniences at all. Don't be fooled by the fact that it resembles parts of your own world; they don't use magic for things like that either. It's garderobes and wells all the way."
Oh, I've brought a foreign queen to a place that uses garderobes. That was a mistake.
"That will not be a concern. It was the same in my youth."
The red-robed economic advisor looks like it might just possible be a problem for her.
"And you say these women are older than me?"
I shrug and turn to address the crowd. "Oi, rubberneckers! Anyone here younger than fifteen hundred?!"
A short delay while they hesitate to attract my attention, then heads start shaking.
"Thank you! Looks like they are. Everyone, this is Queen Artemis, she's the ruler of a planet I'm hoping to do business with. I hope that you'll make her feel welcome during her time here."
Themysciran Greek only.
Compliance.
"To the best of my knowledge she prefers men, so all you would-be liberators can keep it in your drawers."
A few smirk, two look disappointed… And one of the two then turns away from the queen to assess her retinue.
Queen Artemis leans towards me. "Was I supposed to not have a translator spell running?"
All language mode, sound baffle.
Compliance.
"If I was mistaken, every woman here has fought monsters, enemy soldiers and the undead at least once in her life, and I can speak favourably of their characters."
"You are not mistaken, and I have no desire to be a public spectacle."
"Really? I've learned to love it." Baffle off. "Do you want to look around for a while, or do you want to go straight to the formal reception part of the visit?"
"I would like to see the parts of Themyscira which were damaged during the Anti-Life broadcast."
"Oh. Well, there weren't any, really. Themyscira got sucked into the realm of the Hellenistic gods and spent the whole thing guarding the base of Mount Olympus from attacks by the dead of the Aztecs. Aside from a short period at the beginning, which didn't cause much damage because the island is self-sufficient anyway, rather than being part of a complex interdependent economy like the rest of the planet."
"Perhaps a short walk before meeting your queen? The journey gave us little opportunity to stretch our limbs."
"Certainly." Hm. "Perhaps I could show you Themyscira's Dolmen Gate? It's only a short distance from here, and has been operating for over a year now."
She nods. "Yes. Let us begin there."
I lead the way at a slow walk, giving my guests all the time to look around that they like. I'm sure that they're picking up the unique properties of Themysciran architecture, and the complete lack of the sort of magic utility that they're used to.
"Are there no magicians here at all?"
"There are a few. Mostly, Themyscirans see magic as a form of revealed divinity. Few study doing something with magic unless it is offered to them as a result of insight they received from our gods. The magic generalists either follow our Goddess of Magic, or, ah… Are experimenting with other traditions." I shrug. "They're three thousand years old. Some embrace heterodoxy just to keep their brains from rotting."
Including all three of the other Discordians. I think I'm technically the cult leader, but… Well, if Discordians want a leader then they should have checked the sign over the door on the way in.
Artemis nods, still looking around. "The stonework is of fine quality."
"The masons have three thousand years of experience. Or-. I suppose, everyone here has several hundred years of experience as masons before they switched career so they didn't forget how to do everything else. At this point the only person here who couldn't rebuild this street is me."
"What has kept the people of this island form leaving?"
"Inertia, fear, normalisation, segregation."
"Who was segregated?"
"Everyone who wanted to leave left. That meant that they weren't around to agitate their countrywomen, who settled into their complacency."
"What were they afraid of?"
"The same people who drove them off the mainland in the first place. The descendants of those people. Their civilisation, which kept growing and getting stronger while theirs stagnated. Perhaps even cultural assimilation. They didn't spend three thousand years shaking in their sandals, but it was one of the foundational pillars for their attitude."
I don't mention the whittle dolls, partially because I'm seeing a lot less of that lately and partially because that's a whole new level of messed up.
"And are you the cause of their renewed contact with the rest of your world?"
"Not just me, but I think I dramatically accelerated something that was starting to happen anyway." I sigh. "While I understand that protecting people is the core of my job, I'd rather spend my time making peoples' lives better rather than preventing them from getting worse. I'm the reason why the size of the population is actually increasing for the first time in over two thousand years. I'm the reason why they can walk to a modern city, and got access to fruits and vegetables that they've never seen before."
"I have done many things in my life, but I never even contemplated spending so long on a single island."
"Right! It links to why I want those Gates in the first place. Yes, Hub City could use them in the normal sort of way, but what I really want to do is make the place a productive economic hub of the sort it hasn't been… Ever, I think. I want to make the lives of its people better."
"Does it have some significance to you?"
"No, but what sort of hero would I be if I only helped the places that I cared about?"
She nods as we approach the Dolmen Gate.
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Darko
Connoisseur.
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Remove the [.
Mr Zoat
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It's a form of temporal manipulation Great Mother. Read Swamp Thing for more details.
Thank you, corrected.
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BlackCoat13
Versed in the lewd.
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either. It's (remove rogue [ )
soldiers, and
Ngamer11
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Have some Amazons started worshipping Eris? Because I remember the last Discordians killed themselves in protest of Themyscira's isolation. Or is Paul referring to non-Amazons who worship Eris?
Oglymogly
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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Great line. I may quote that in the future.
Dur'id the Druid
Know what you're doing yet?
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Nitpick, shouldn't there be some kids running around, epically with OL's medical help for couples?
NightmareWarden
Versed in the lewd.
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Not old enough, but Paul has been around babies twice before at least. Hmm, the unwise Themysciran wrapped in that court case probably hasn't given birth yet.
Mr Zoat
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When I was in Primary School, I was taught that the last item on the list doesn't get a comma. It doesn't need one as it has an 'and'. I am now 41 and I'm not changing now for anyone or anything.
Yes.
Duke Long
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I think 'from' makes more sense. The act is far from him, in the sense that it's not something he would do, makes sense to me. 'for' is a bit bizarre to me, I suppose it works but it's less straightforward. But if you prefer that way then so be it.
Chojin Patriarch
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Hopefully they took a shortcut. I doubt Queen Artemis and her entourage would enjoy the traditional climb up or down the stairs. And now she gets her first glimpse of Earth, albeit it as one culture has been for three thousand years...
Ah, the joy of a population used to OL's antics. Already spreading the word and moving to yellow alert...
That's still going on? Eesh, he is taking it slow. Guess he doesn't want to rush her into anything this time around.
I would hope the 'night-soil' collectors are well respected, at least out in the fringes where they don't have plumbing.
Now that must be a marvellous thing, to go from a mere hole in the ground, figuratively speaking, to what I presume is some manner of matter conversion spell...
Feels odd to be the baby in the crowd, doesn't it?
With more than a few bemused smirks, I bet.
Ah, right, got to make it clear she's not interested in the fairer sex.
...Let's hope she didn't understand that.
Awkward. Though better to head off misunderstandings now before someone causes an interplanetary incident.
On the upside, who knows how they'll treat her subordinates? And what tastes they might have.
Ah, well. There's still Man's World yet.
...Right, that's a funny story... One that might sound a bit far-fetched coming from anyone else.
And most of the Amazons have good enough senses of self and support networks to shrug off the worst of the Anti-Life they were exposed to.
Only natural, as they'll be using it to get to New York.
Probably wish hushed discussions of stuff like 'They still use burning brands for light?' or 'I admire their sense of design. Functional yet elegant.'
That sounds interesting. Traditions from the outside world, I expect, such as Atlantean?
Oh, that's perfect. And i expect they keep things lively around the town when OL's away.
At least without using his Ring, anyway.
This was a safe place at the time. Of course they didn't feel any need to leave, even after the first century and the loss of the men.
Heh. I suppose that's why there's a couple of Discordians around, to keep the pot a little stirred.
And no doubt a little feeling of xenophobia, or at least wariness. Especially after Diana started bringing home strays.
Having actual children to play auntie to, and the access to fresh men via the Gate, probably helps ward off those feelings.
Which must have been a surprise, all those foods from regions further away than the Mediterranean. I expect some ladies are regulars at New York restaurants.
TO be fair, any improvement is massive, given the general shittiness of the place before the Anti-Life.
And that is a proper heroic sentiment indeed.
Well, that went well. I expect the meeting with Hippolyta will also go well. And I foresee the advisors having an interesting time as well, meeting new folks. Also some interesting insight into OL's view of the Themysciran character and culture. It'll be curious to see how the Amazons adapt over the years to come, if at all...
monochromaticPrism
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…the orange kind?
Mr Zoat
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No. Consider: 'It would be hypocritical for me to criticise you.'
Constrast: 'It would be hypocritical from me to criticise you.'
Duke Long
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But that's not equivalent.
Consider: 'Far be it from me.'
With the context that 'it' here refers to a physical object or location.
Contrast: 'Far be it for me.'
The latter is clearly wrong in this context.
Using this phrase in this context is clearly archaic but I think not wrong. And I hope you'll see how when changing the context to the original topic it is still not wrong, though I think 'for' also becomes more palatable in the original context.
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SirKaid
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"Far be it for me" doesn't refer to a physical thing, though. If it was, the sentence structure is a mess and would be properly phrased as "It is far from me" or something similar. The phrase is exclusively used for metaphor or for statements of character, and in those cases the subject is "me", not "it".
In other words, you can rephrase the sentence as "For me, it is far. For someone who is rude enough to do undertake that action, it is near."
It's not a statement about distance but about assigning character facts.
Duke Long
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Obviously it doesn't usually refer to a physical thing, I was using that as a demonstration. I realise it would be a bizarre sentence structure that you normally wouldn't use.
Right, or you could phrase it as "It is far from me. It is not far from someone who is rude enough to undertake that action."
Originally I believed that this is the correct version, but now I am merely saying that it is at least equally valid.
It is about distance, it's just a metaphorical distance.
monochromaticPrism
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It's because of the usage of "far" when referring to concepts. Statements like "He was glad for the raise, but still far from wealthy". It adds a dimension of distance/size to the idea or concept under consideration, often for the purpose of contrast.
When someone uses the phrase "far be it from me to XYZ" they are placing verbal distance between themselves and an unfavorable interpretation of the concept they are about to express, thus the use of "from". Usually it's done either to preempt a claim of hypocrisy or to assure that prior/following statement(s) were made purely as a description of the situation with no intent to cause insult.
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The Man (part 18)
New
Mr Zoat
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5th June 2013
15:34 GMT +3
"…speak with people who are my senior." Queen Artemis smiles faintly.
I nods and smile as we head towards the newly-delivered Dolmen Gate between Themyscira and Hub City. "Queen Hippolyta has also remained unmarried for longer than you."
"Yes, but for her that is a desirable state of affairs. If you are thinking to bind me to your world through marriage, I will tell you now that I am not interested in a dynastic partnership."
"That wasn't where I was going with that. Though I am aware of the disposition and location of every male hero of note on this planet, we don't really do marriage-alliances any more."
She frowns thoughtfully. "I didn't think to ask: who rules this world?"
"Technically, no one. Individual countries are independent to a high degree. There's a planetary debate chamber, but its power and authority is strictly limited."
"And do you answer to that body?"
"No. I answer to Clarissi Vril Dox and no other. Though in a practical sense, the reconstruction is being overseen by a group of heroes collectively known as the Justice League, with most of the planning being done by Batman and Mister Atom. I alternate between handling the parts that I'm best suited to handle and doing my own thing and keeping them informed."
"And who do they answer to, if this world has no ruler?"
"In normal times, they submit reports to an oversight committee which has had responsibility delegated to it by the debate chamber I mentioned. At the moment… Basically no one."
"Is that a matter of concern?"
"Depends who you ask."
I step through the gate, Artemis moving with me and her retinue following behind.
5th June 2013
07:36 GMT -5
"I think it is, but more because it shows the level of societal collapse than because overseeing the Justice League is a useful thing to do."
She takes in our new surroundings, and stops walking. "This is not so decayed as you led me to believe. Have you already begun reconstruction?"
I pause a short distance further down the corridor. "Yes, this is the power plant I built to keep their electrical-." I pause. "Do you understand how electrical grids work?"
"I presume that they are something like the power supply systems on spacecraft, but designed to move power from ground-based generators to ground-based buildings."
"Pretty much. The difference is that it's less well organised. Power plants can use any number of different fuels and be owned by any number of different companies. The distribution network is larger than what you could find on all but the largest ships and it got added to a lot of pre-existing cities that weren't designed with the need to have power cables running through them in mind. I built this facility two days ago to supply power to Hub City, which wasn't receiving enough power to keep basic electrical systems going properly. Ideally, we'd use this opportunity to replace the city's wiring with jovium, but I don't have anything like enough."
"If you have a way to manufacture it on a large scale, I would be interested in a trade agreement to supply it."
"Huh? What do you use it for?"
"There are any number of electrical artefacts which make use of it. Though I suspect that your needs are somewhat greater."
"Almost certainly. It…" Hm. "I appreciate the offer, but I think it makes more sense to put up with the inefficiency for now. Perhaps we can expand to magic metals once the Dolmen Gate production line is firmly established."
I gesture to the doors in front of us, and she starts walking again.
"I am interested in acquiring the production techniques for whatever arcane materials you have, most certainly including jovium."
I nod. "Not a problem. We've got mithril and orichalcum, and depending on how far Vulcan's gotten we might be able to make Nth metal. Our foundries can purify the base metals far better than magic. Now-" I push opens the doors and lead the way out into the car park. "-this is Hub City proper."
Artemis gags, then makes a fingers-to-palm gesture with her left hand. Immediately a faintly visible bubble appears around her head. A couple of the more magically-able members of her retinue do something similar while the rest just try to conceal their disquiet.
"What is that stench?"
"Airborne hydrocarbons, probably." I shrug. "Probably a little rotting flesh in there as well."
Ring, please notify the mayor that we've arrived.
Compliance.
"Are they using revenants?"
"No. That sort of necromancy doesn't really exist here. Themyscira has a couple of sacred necromancers-. Oh, wait. Do vampires count?"
"What is a 'vampire'?"
"A technically-living creature that sustains itself by consuming the blood of other creatures, preferably intelligent ones. I developed palatable synthetic blood for them a couple of years ago, but societal collapse means that I'm not sure if their supplies are reaching them and it's possible that a few have gone back to hunting people for food."
"No, I refer to animated corpses. Are there so many dead that they are not being disposed of?"
"They're being disposed of as they're found, but a lot of Hub City got abandoned. There are plenty of places to die that just haven't been discovered yet. And even after the bodies are cleared away, the scent still lingers." Oh. "But it could just be rotten meat that was in freezers that stopped working due to the lack of electrical power."
She looks a little relieved. "Do you have sufficient healers to cope with the resulting diseases?"
"Oh gods no. Medical professionals fled the moment the Anti-Life got expunged. The only people providing basic medical aid are former military people who are too stubborn to leave."
And had their mental health problems fixed by the life wave, and most of their narcotic suppliers either die or lose access to their product.
"But we're working on that now. I can take us to an implantation centre first if you like, or I can give you an overview of the city, or we can visit the mayor."
"What are they implanting?"
"Health-boosting symbiotes." Ah… "For various reasons not strictly relevant to what we're doing here, the provision of medical services in this part of the planet has been a bit of a mess for a while. So a species of synthetic organics we created a few years ago had the brilliant idea of sidestepping doctors and hospitals and insurance providers and just making creatures people could have inserted into them which could fix most things. There wasn't a great uptake rate, but Hub City is a little bit desperate so people are giving it a try."
"A 'little bit' desperate? What is 'very desperate'?"
"My people understate for emphasis. This is the worst place on this continent. Everywhere that I'm aware of that is worse has been outright abandoned and isn't a priority, though I did have to deal with a stolen fission warhead a little while ago."
"Then I think that I would like to start with the creatures being implanted."
I nod. "Right this way."
15:34 GMT +3
"…speak with people who are my senior." Queen Artemis smiles faintly.
I nods and smile as we head towards the newly-delivered Dolmen Gate between Themyscira and Hub City. "Queen Hippolyta has also remained unmarried for longer than you."
"Yes, but for her that is a desirable state of affairs. If you are thinking to bind me to your world through marriage, I will tell you now that I am not interested in a dynastic partnership."
"That wasn't where I was going with that. Though I am aware of the disposition and location of every male hero of note on this planet, we don't really do marriage-alliances any more."
She frowns thoughtfully. "I didn't think to ask: who rules this world?"
"Technically, no one. Individual countries are independent to a high degree. There's a planetary debate chamber, but its power and authority is strictly limited."
"And do you answer to that body?"
"No. I answer to Clarissi Vril Dox and no other. Though in a practical sense, the reconstruction is being overseen by a group of heroes collectively known as the Justice League, with most of the planning being done by Batman and Mister Atom. I alternate between handling the parts that I'm best suited to handle and doing my own thing and keeping them informed."
"And who do they answer to, if this world has no ruler?"
"In normal times, they submit reports to an oversight committee which has had responsibility delegated to it by the debate chamber I mentioned. At the moment… Basically no one."
"Is that a matter of concern?"
"Depends who you ask."
I step through the gate, Artemis moving with me and her retinue following behind.
5th June 2013
07:36 GMT -5
"I think it is, but more because it shows the level of societal collapse than because overseeing the Justice League is a useful thing to do."
She takes in our new surroundings, and stops walking. "This is not so decayed as you led me to believe. Have you already begun reconstruction?"
I pause a short distance further down the corridor. "Yes, this is the power plant I built to keep their electrical-." I pause. "Do you understand how electrical grids work?"
"I presume that they are something like the power supply systems on spacecraft, but designed to move power from ground-based generators to ground-based buildings."
"Pretty much. The difference is that it's less well organised. Power plants can use any number of different fuels and be owned by any number of different companies. The distribution network is larger than what you could find on all but the largest ships and it got added to a lot of pre-existing cities that weren't designed with the need to have power cables running through them in mind. I built this facility two days ago to supply power to Hub City, which wasn't receiving enough power to keep basic electrical systems going properly. Ideally, we'd use this opportunity to replace the city's wiring with jovium, but I don't have anything like enough."
"If you have a way to manufacture it on a large scale, I would be interested in a trade agreement to supply it."
"Huh? What do you use it for?"
"There are any number of electrical artefacts which make use of it. Though I suspect that your needs are somewhat greater."
"Almost certainly. It…" Hm. "I appreciate the offer, but I think it makes more sense to put up with the inefficiency for now. Perhaps we can expand to magic metals once the Dolmen Gate production line is firmly established."
I gesture to the doors in front of us, and she starts walking again.
"I am interested in acquiring the production techniques for whatever arcane materials you have, most certainly including jovium."
I nod. "Not a problem. We've got mithril and orichalcum, and depending on how far Vulcan's gotten we might be able to make Nth metal. Our foundries can purify the base metals far better than magic. Now-" I push opens the doors and lead the way out into the car park. "-this is Hub City proper."
Artemis gags, then makes a fingers-to-palm gesture with her left hand. Immediately a faintly visible bubble appears around her head. A couple of the more magically-able members of her retinue do something similar while the rest just try to conceal their disquiet.
"What is that stench?"
"Airborne hydrocarbons, probably." I shrug. "Probably a little rotting flesh in there as well."
Ring, please notify the mayor that we've arrived.
Compliance.
"Are they using revenants?"
"No. That sort of necromancy doesn't really exist here. Themyscira has a couple of sacred necromancers-. Oh, wait. Do vampires count?"
"What is a 'vampire'?"
"A technically-living creature that sustains itself by consuming the blood of other creatures, preferably intelligent ones. I developed palatable synthetic blood for them a couple of years ago, but societal collapse means that I'm not sure if their supplies are reaching them and it's possible that a few have gone back to hunting people for food."
"No, I refer to animated corpses. Are there so many dead that they are not being disposed of?"
"They're being disposed of as they're found, but a lot of Hub City got abandoned. There are plenty of places to die that just haven't been discovered yet. And even after the bodies are cleared away, the scent still lingers." Oh. "But it could just be rotten meat that was in freezers that stopped working due to the lack of electrical power."
She looks a little relieved. "Do you have sufficient healers to cope with the resulting diseases?"
"Oh gods no. Medical professionals fled the moment the Anti-Life got expunged. The only people providing basic medical aid are former military people who are too stubborn to leave."
And had their mental health problems fixed by the life wave, and most of their narcotic suppliers either die or lose access to their product.
"But we're working on that now. I can take us to an implantation centre first if you like, or I can give you an overview of the city, or we can visit the mayor."
"What are they implanting?"
"Health-boosting symbiotes." Ah… "For various reasons not strictly relevant to what we're doing here, the provision of medical services in this part of the planet has been a bit of a mess for a while. So a species of synthetic organics we created a few years ago had the brilliant idea of sidestepping doctors and hospitals and insurance providers and just making creatures people could have inserted into them which could fix most things. There wasn't a great uptake rate, but Hub City is a little bit desperate so people are giving it a try."
"A 'little bit' desperate? What is 'very desperate'?"
"My people understate for emphasis. This is the worst place on this continent. Everywhere that I'm aware of that is worse has been outright abandoned and isn't a priority, though I did have to deal with a stolen fission warhead a little while ago."
"Then I think that I would like to start with the creatures being implanted."
I nod. "Right this way."
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Chojin Patriarch
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Aw, skipped over the royal meeting? Then again, we didn't really need polite conversation over dinner, nor the mundane matters of bedtime or breakfast. Wonder if anyone hooked up, though.
In other words, any man who marries her isn't going to be taking the reins of power. A mere Royal Consort, if you will...
By design, mostly. It has more powers than the Pre-WWII League of nations, but it only has what power the members provide. More of a neutral ground for international disputes and support for disaster relief than anything.
Ah, how these names must sound to her ears. Superheroes must look real odd to off-worlders.
And you have no idea how troublesome that is, even as it makes some things so much easier.
...And now I find myself wondering if the gates have a flat part for pedestrian passage, or if they're walking on a footbridge through an entirely circular gateway.
And there's probably people out there wondering who's driving this train/boat/bus?"
A logical extrapolation. I take it things on her world are less centralised in that respect. Given the ubiquity of magic, Every house probably has everglowing lamps, self-heating water tanks and literal ice-box refrigerators.
Never mind the difficulty of changing from one entrenched generation method to another, newer method.
I assume the names may be different, but the concept of 'nearly lossless conductive material' is probably universal.
If Artemis can get a reliable mass production method, she could see trained people churning it out within weeks, I bet. A bonus to the trade deal!
That's probably acceptable, as long as Earth gets a share of the results.
And that last one might give Artemis pause, given the Thanagarian functional monopoly on it.
Yeah, turns out pollution really stinks, it's just that folks in cities get used to it.
Hopefully she's prepared for it. She knew they were coming, after all, but I suspect any reception might be rushed with only a couple of days preparation.
Yeah, when you look at it, necromancy isn't necessarily evil. It's just that the good ones who provide post-mortem care and communications get tarred with the brush of the nutters raising armies of walking dead.
Huh, that's surprising. Her world doesn't have a counterpart that the Ring could suggest as an equivalent?
...That is also a possibility. Restaurants and disused supermarkets, for example, especially since there would not be much looting under the Anti-Life.
Presumably after raiding the abandoned hospitals for supplies.
Wow, the Genomorphs wasting no time at all.
And I'm reminded of the Family healing symbionts from 'Taylor Varga', both the implanted versions and the one-shot units.
One of the Kobra splinter cults, wasn't it? Wonder how much more of that sort of thing has gone unnoticed because they didn't steal nukes.
No doubt very interested in the biomantic possibilites. Imagine a counterpart that could drop healing magic on the host whenever they suffered stress...
And the grand tour begins! I wonder how much trouble they'll have once government agencies get their acts in gear and notice the suspiciously healthy residents of Hub City. I doubt they could demand they remove the symbionts without a lot of pushback, but there's probably going to be legal fights for years. The joy of disaster-recovery periods...
Mr Zoat
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Thank me, corrected.Me said:
Duke Long
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'properly. Ideally,'
Mr Zoat
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Thank you, corrected.
DeathReaperZ
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So from what I understand he gave himself a telekinetic push in that direction by pretending he was supposed to be falling that way towards the "ground"?
You'd have to sacrifice stability for speed.
You'll always be the Ophidian's favourite.
hah.
Wonder if he's going to invest in mind transfer tech.
Granddaughter material
Well this is interesting.
Perhaps there's hope for him yet.
Yep, he'd probably have a chance of beating them if he did.Man... Imagine how much more powerful he'd have been with a Yellow Ring...
Interesting. Is the ring scanning her vocal cords and translating what she's trying to say?
Why'd he choose that name? The only thing I found was a character form a TV show.
I'm starting to see a pattern here. All the ones we've seen so far are not actively using their rings due to the lack of a personal lantern. Of course, the Controller has probably been to worlds that do have Pauls with personal lanterns, we just haven't seen them.
3% of what?
Time for a new oath?
Is he sapping the left over desire in each cell to propagate and continue existing? Or is it something else?
Probably took a shit ton of willpower to not shit his pants huh.
RIP his pelvis if it works out. Also:
He can't use his telekinesis for that?
I see.
First post? To link with Slipstream right? I forgot that it doesn't begin in space like usual.
Ah.
While I assume his control isn't good enough for it, a skin level field would work no? He could avoid damage while still being "covered" by the pheromones.